Fuente de las Cibeles

The Fuente de las Cibeles, located in the heart of Mexico City, stands as a striking symbol of the long-standing ties between Mexico and Spain. Donated by the Spanish community residing in the capital, it is a faithful replica of the famous fountain in Madrid’s Plaza de Cibeles.

The original design was commissioned in 1777 by King Carlos III from architect Ventura Rodríguez, and sculpted between 1777 and 1792 by renowned artists Francisco Gutiérrez, who carved the goddess Cybele on her chariot, and Roberto Michel, who crafted the lions representing Atalanta and Hippomenes.
Cybele—an ancient goddess from Phrygia worshipped in Anatolia since the Neolithic—was later embraced by Greek settlers and eventually by the Romans, who celebrated her as the Magna Mater, or “Great Mother.” Her legacy even inspired the character of Sybill Trelawny in the Harry Potter series.

Mexico City’s version was inaugurated in 1980 by President José López Portillo and Madrid’s mayor Enrique Tierno Galván. In 2011 it underwent restoration as part of a wider urban conservation effort. The fountain was placed in what was formerly Miravalle Square, redesigned to host it and renamed Plaza Villa de Madrid.
The full monument measures approximately 12.5 meters long, 4.7 meters wide, and 5.5 meters tall, weighing around 12 tons.

Today, the Fuente de las Cibeles is not only an iconic landmark of Mexico City but also the centerpiece of a lively weekend street market. It is also an important hub for tourist bus services: Turibús (Sur-Coyoacán and Historic Center routes) and Capital Bus, which allows transfers between the Centro-Polanco and Centro-Sur Coyoacán routes, as well as the seasonal Reforma–Santa Fe route.